August 28, 2011

We had some friends over the other night for pasta cooked by my Italian husband. I, of course baked dessert. I decided to make some peach galettes with the peaches I picked up at the St. Jacobs market. The buttery crust works so well when paired with the sweet syrupy peaches. These could be made with other fruits such as apples, raspberries or blueberries, and are best served warm, with vanilla ice cream. Remember to use really cold butter and water. I made this dough in my cuisinart food processor and believe it or not, this was the first time I've ever made dough in a food processor. It worked like a charm! I may never make dough the normal way ever again! Remember to refrigerate the dough for an hour before you roll it out. This recipe will make 4 galettes.

Peach Galettes

Dough

1 cup cold butter (225 grams), cubed

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cold water

pinch of salt

Filling

6 ripe peaches, sliced

1 cup white sugar

Extras

1 egg

3 tbsp milk

1/4 cup icing sugar

Directions

To make the dough combine the flour, salt and butter in a food processor. Pulse until crumbly. Gradually pour the cold water in while pulsing until a dough ball forms. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.

To make the filling, thinly slice the peaches and toss with the sugar.

Cut the dough into quarters and dust your surface with flour. Roll one piece at a time into 12 inch rounds that are approximately an eigth of an inch thick. Pour a quarter of the filling into the middle of the dough and roughly fold up the sides of the dough, leaving some of the filling exposed. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and brush with egg wash (egg and milk). Repeat with the other 3 dough balls.

Bake for approximately 1 hour, until the filling is bubbling and the crust is golden brown.

Once the galettes are cool sprinkle them with a little icing sugar.

Note: If you don't have a food processor you can still make this dough (you'll just have to get your muscles out). Combine the flour, salt and butter in a large bowl. Use a pastry cutter or just your fingers and mix until a coarse crumb forms. Gradually add the cold water, mixing until the dough comes together.

My husband and I were at the St. Jacobs Farmers Market this morning and scored some serious produce. Everything looked amazing and we had a hard time choosing what to bring home. I knew I wanted to make some zucchini bread but when I saw how good the carrots and early Mac's looked I just had to add them too. You could add any variety of nuts, raisins or other dried fruits that you desire. This recipe will make 2 large loaves or 4 small loaves. The loaves freeze really well and are a great gift. This recipe is a take on the one found in a Delicious magazine. To yield 4 cups of grated zucchini, carrot and apple, I used one small zucchini, 1 carrot and 1 apple but depending on the size of your fruits and vegetables you may need to increase or decrease the amount used.

Zucchini, carrot and apple bread with pecans and chocolate

2 2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp all-spice

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1 1/3 cup white sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

3 eggs

200 ml melted butter

2 tsp vanilla

4 cups total grated zucchini, carrot and apple

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup pecan halves, roughly chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and line 2, 2-liter loaf pans or 4 1 liter loaf pans.

Grate your zucchini, carrot and apple. Set aside.

In a bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and spices. Set aside.

In a large bowl add the sugars and egg and mix. Add the melted butter, and vanilla and mix. Stir in the flour in 3 parts, then add the zucchini, carrots and apple mixture. Add the pecans and chocolate chips. Stir until well combined. Divide between the pans.

June 08, 2011

These are probably one of the most well received treats I've ever made! My husband is crazy about them. They are super easy to make and are really great for an afternoon snack or if you're having someone over for coffee or tea. Make sure your puff pastry is cold before baking so if your kitchen is hot and the pastry feels warm, I would pop them into the fridge for 10-15 minutes before baking. I've made mine small but you could cut them larger depending on what you want them for.

May 29, 2011

My niece just turned 4 and for her birthday party I made a My Little Pony cake. I didn't tell her that the cake was rainbow inside and her face was priceless when she saw it. It was actually really simple to make and looked amazing.

May 02, 2011

It has been an absolutely awful spring here in Ontario, so to celebrate the nice weather last weekend, our friends had us over for an afternoon bbq. I needed a quick something to make for dessert and the hostess loves lemon things so I thought this dessert was appropriate for the first really nice day of the year. I've used an 8 inch fluted tart tin for this recipe and you can use any berries or fruit you'd like, just use whatever looks good. Marinating the raspberries in Lemoncello was such a quick and easy way to brighten up this recipe and add a little something, something to it. Mother's Day is coming up and this would a sweet treat for any mom!

To make the crust combine the ingredients in a bowl. Mix until the crust comes together into a ball and there are no large lumps. Press into the base of the tin and up the sides. Place the tart tin on a baking sheet and set aside while you make the filling.

For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest. Sift the flour and baking powder over the mixture and whisk until combined. Pour the filling over the crust and bake for approximately 30 minutes or until the filling has set and is just lightly browned. You will know the filling has set if you shake the pan and it doesn't wobble.

Set aside to cool.

In a bowl mix the raspberries with the Lemoncello and let the mixture sit so the raspberries can marinate.

To make the icing, combine the icing sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice in a small bowl and mix.

Place the Lemoncello marinated raspberries onto the tart and drizzle with the icing. Refrigerate until you are ready to serve.

April 04, 2011

This past weekend I attended the Elmira Maple Syrup Festival, which has (according to Guinness) the largest amount of maple syrup consumption in one place in one day. I had high hopes for the festival but alas was sadly disapponted by the lack of maple syrup related sights. To ease the disapointment I made this cake when I got home. It's such a great cake and is really easy to put together. I love the golden caramely colour of the cake and the maple syrup drizzle is a nice addition. I've made a maple syrup drizzle but you could just use pure maple syrup.

Maple Cake

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

pinch of salt

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped and toasted

Maple Icing

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups icing sugar

2 tbsp maple syrup

Maple Drizzle

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1 tbsp butter

pinch of salt

Directions

To make the maple cake, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and dust with flour a 9 inch cake pan.

Using a mixer, combine the butter and sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Add the maple syrup and vanilla.

In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

In alternating addtions add the flour and the milk while mixing on low.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread out to the edges.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and when the cake springs back when lightly touched.

Let your cake cool while you make the icing and maple drizzle.

To make the maple icing combine the butter, icing sugar and maple syrup. Beat until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes). Set aside until you are ready to ice your cake.

To make the maple drizzle place the maple syrup in a heavy bottomed pan. Place over medium heat and cook without stirring until it reaches 210 degrees Fahrenheit on a candy themometer. Turn off the heat and let cool to 110 degrees Fahrenheit before stirring in the butter and salt. Stir vigoriously for 5 minutes with a wooden spoon. Place in the fridge to cool off.

Ice the top of your cooled cake and drizzle with the maple syrup. Top with the toasted walnuts and serve!

March 28, 2011

This is such a great cake! So quick and easy to make and it's really versatile and adaptable. I added raspberries and semi-sweet chocolate chips but the combinations are endless. Throw in a bunch of berries and add some lemon zest. Stir in some apples or rhubarb and cinnamon or, just leave it plain. If you don't have almond meal on hand just take some almonds and whiz them up in your cuisinart until they are finely ground. Just be careful not to over grind them as they can get gluey. Serve with vanilla ice cream or some whip cream. I found the inspiration for this recipe in a Donna Hay magazine.

Almond, Raspberry and Chocolate Cake

4 eggs

1 cup white sugar

10 1/2 tbsp butter, melted

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup almond meal

1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

3 tbsp icing sugar

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 8" X 12 " pan and line it with parchment paper.

Using a stand or hand mixer, mix the eggs, sugar and vanilla on medium high for about 10 minutes until very light in colour and tripled in size. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt over the mixture and fold in. Add the almond meal and melted butter and stir in. Stir in the raspberries and chocolate chips and pour into the prepared pan, smoothing the batter out to the sides of the pan.

Bake for approximately 30 minutes until golden brown and a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the middle of the cake.

March 03, 2011

I have been craving carrot cake for weeks and finally found the time to make myself some! These muffins are amazing on their own; super moist with a nice crunchy top, but add the maple cream cheese icing and they are divine. I have a cold right now and can't remember if you supposed to feed a cold and starve a fever, or feed a fever and starve a cold?? Doesn't matter, I'm eating these muffins regardless of the rule. This recipe will make about 8 muffins.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, nutmeg and cinnamon. Set aside.

Using a stand or hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugars. Add the eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the carrots and mix.

Slowly add the flour mixture to the bowl in three separate additions, scraping down the sides of the bowl each time.

Drop a 1/4 cup of the carrot cake into a muffin cup.

Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until the cake springs back when lightly pressed.

Cool the muffins on a wire rack.

To make the icing combine the cream cheese and butter in a bowl. Using a hand or stand mixer, beat until light and fluffy. Add the maple syrup and icing sugar. Beat on low until the sugar is incorporated and then increase the speed. Mix for a few minutes until light and fluffy.

February 21, 2011

I think I ate too many sweets during Valentine's so when I was thinking of a dessert to make I really wanted something that was light and fresh. This cheesecake is great because it uses fresh fruit and loads of citrus. Make the cheesecake the day before and refrigerate it overnight for best results. This will make about 16 individual cheesecakes.

Blueberry Lemon Cheesecake

Crust

1/2 lb butter, softened

1/2 cup icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups all-purpose flour

pinch of cinnamon

Cheesecake Filling

16 oz cream cheese, room temperature

2 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/8 tsp almond extract

2/3 cup plain full-fat yogurt

2 tsp lemon zest

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

Directions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a muffin tin.

To make the crust, combine the butter and icing sugar. Add the vanilla and cinnamon. Mix in the flour until just combined. Wrap and chill for one hour. Press 2 tablespoon sized balls of dough into each tin. Prick the bottoms of the crust and place a round of parchment paper down. Blind bake with ceramic weights or beans for 15-20 minutes, until lightly golden.

Make the filling by using a cuisinart or mixer. Combine the cream cheese, sugar, yogurt, and lemon zest. Mix for a few minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl down and then add the vanilla, almond extract, lemon juice and eggs. Mix well until there are no lumps. Fold in the fresh blueberries.

Place a pan of hot water in the oven. This will help stop the cheesecake from cracking. Divide the batter between the tins and bake for one hour. Leave the cheesecake in the turned off oven for an additional hour.